Water-power apparatus.



F. W. IRWIN.

WATER POWER APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29. 1918.

. Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

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F. W. IRWIN.

WATER POWER APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29.. 1918. 1,283,199., Patented 0015. 29, 1918.

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F. W. IRWIN.

WATER POWER APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29. l9l8.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

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WATERQPOWER"APPA.RAT.USJ1

Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

Application fi1ed'Apri1-29, 19.18. Seria1 1\To.'23l,414.

T0 sallwho'mit mag concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W.IRWIN,

a citizen of the United States, and a resiwater. power. apparatus, andmoreparticularly to an apparatus whereby to derive power-from waterfalls, my primary object bfilngvthe provision of an apparatus which maybe effectively and efiicientlyutilized for this purpose, withoutdestroying the scenic beauty of the falling .wvateror impairing thesurroundings. thereof.

A further object is the provision of an apparatus which may be utilizedbeneath water falls, including rotating water Wheels with whichthedescending Water comes in contact, and of an adjustablenature,whereby ready and quick adjustments may be made to compensateforthe condition ofthe water and the'angle-of. 'itsfall, due tosuchcondition,-= as forinstance high on lowwater supply:

Other objects relating'for the most part to the details of constructionof my improved apparatus will be better understood from the followingdescription, reference being had to the accompanying;drawings forming'apart of this application, and in which Figurel is a top-planview. of theunit of construction embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevationthereof j Fig. 3 is a side elevationithereof;and, Fig. 4- is a vertical transverse section taken on line 1-l of Fig.3.

Referringnowto these figures, my invention contemplates the provision ofan appa ratus including a hollow base 10 having side walls 11 providedintermediate their ends with side bearings 12 for a transverse shaft 18,on which a gear wheel 14 is secured at a point between the side Walls 11with its upper portion projecting vertically through a slottedopening-15 of the base 10 adjacent its forward end, as seen by referenceto the dotted lines of Fig. 3.

Longitudinally along opposite sides of the base 10 are a pair of tracks16 in spaced parallel relation having recessed upper surfaces receivingthe depending ribs 17 of a longitudinally adjustable carriage 18, thelatter .of which is thus shiftable longitudinally .of the base forapurpose which will be presently described. This carriage 18 has acentral lower rack 19 which is engaged by the gear l gso that byrotationof the shaft 13 from anysuitable point, the carriage 18 mayb'eadjustedupon the base 10.

The carriage 18 supports a water wheel frame including inclined upwardlyconvergingnuprights20 and 21-at opposite sides of the carriage;theforward and rear uprights ateach side being connected bythe endpieces.22 of a yoke frame including a transversely disposed beam 23between said end pieces 22, the upper ends of the uprights 20 and .21being pivotally connected to the end pieces 22, as seen. at 24:, and.the lower ends of the forward.uprights 20 being similarly connected at25 to the forward side portions of. the carriage 18.

The lower endsof therear uprights carry pivotally supported threadedbearings 26 engaged-.upon the forward screws 27 of a pair of shafts 28extending longitudinally alongonposite sides of the'carriage 18, andmounted in laterally projecting bearings 29 of said ca:rriage,.the rearends of the shafts 28.projecting rearwardly beyond the carri'agelS andprovided with-gears or other members 30 forconnection with anysuitable-meansfor rotating the shafts 28 in order-toishift the.rearnprights 21 of the water wheel. framesand in: this way .vary theangleiof. inclinationof the forward uprights 2O between t-he latter-ofwhich are extended transverse shafts '31.

These shafts-8l are in a vertical series of any; suitable number andextendin parallel relation transversely above the upper portion: of the:carriage :18, their intermediateiportions supporting bladed Water wheelsof any suitable structure and their outer ends having pulleys 33 orgears 34, so that the shafts 31 of adj aeent apparatuses of likecharacter may be connected to one another or the rotation thereoftransmitted to any suitable point of power consumption or storage.

Due to the construction above described, it is obvious that the base 10of my improved apparatus may be anchored in any suitable manner, andmore or less in the path of falling water at the rear of the water fallfor instance between the column of descending water and the face of acliff or other point over which the water falls. The carriage 18 willthen be shifted forwardly by rotating shaft 13 in any suitable manner,to bring the water wheel, frame within the influence of the descendingcolumn of water, following which rotation of shafts 28 will permit ofadjustment of the water wheel frame in order to bring the forwarduprights :20 to an inclination paralleling the falling water, so thatthe latter will distribute its force evenly over the entire series ofwater wheels 3:2, it being understood that there will in practice be aseries of wheel carrying shafts 31, and that each shaft will have one ormore water wheels 32, as desired.

From the above it is readily to be observed that my invention enablesthe full force and effect of a water fall to be utilized withoutintruding any part of the apparatus into view and thus withoutdestroying any of the scenic value of large powerful falls, particularlythose of great prominence in connection with which apparatuses lackingthese advantages would not be tolerated.

I claim 2- 1. A water power apparatus for use in connection with waterfalls consisting of a base, a carriage adjustable on the base, andupwardly inclined series of horizontally disposed water wheels carriedby and adjustable as a series with respect to the said carriage for thepurpose described.

2.. A water power apparatus consisting of a support and an upwardlyinclined series of horizontally disposed water wheels mounted 011 thesaid support, the said series of wheels being bodily adjustablelengthwise of the support and being also adjustable in their inclinationas a series with respect to the support, for the purpose described.

3. A water power apparatus comprising a base, a carriage adjustable onthe base, a water wheel frame including inclined uprights movablyconnected to the carriage, and means for adjusting the inclination ofsaid uprights, shafts j ournaled through the uprights, and water wheelssecured to the said shafts, for the purpose described.

at. A water power apparatus coniprisingli their lower ends to thecarriage, pivotal con nections between the upper ends of the saiduprights adjusting connections supported by the carriage and engagingthe rear uprights, a. series of shafts disposed horizontally in theforward uprights, and water wheels secured upon the shafts,substantially as described.

5. A power apparatus consisting of a base having a rotating shaftprovided with a gear, a carriage slidable in guided relation upon thebase, and having a rack engaged by the said shaft gear, adjusting shaftsjournaled in portions of said carriage and having threaded sections,inclined uprights movably connected to a portion of'the carriage,connections between said uprights and the threaded sections of saidadjusting shaftswhereby to adjust the inclination of the uprights withrespect to the carriage, and a series of water wheels rotatabl ymounted'in the uprights, for the purpose described.

6. A water power apparatus comprising a base, a carriage adjustable onthe base, a water wheel frame including forward and rear uprights ininclined converging relation, the lower ends of the forward uprights ofwhich are pivotally connected to the carriage, a connecting framepivotally uniting the upper ends of the said uprights, and threadedbearings carried by the lower ends of the rear uprights, adjustingshafts j ournaled in portions of the carriage and having threadedsections extending through the said bearings of the rear uprights, and aseries of water wheels rotatably mounted in the forward uprights for thepurpose described.

FREDERICK WM. IRWVIN.

l/Vitnesses PAUL F. CUNNINGHAM, Finn). W. SIMoNs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

